Friends? Or Family? Ezria AU
by Lazysaturdaes
Summary: An Ezria AU! A tale of two friends who help each other through the hardships of life and learn to cherish what matters most in life. Please Read! It's hopefully a little bit better then doing homework or something like that!
1. Chapter 1

**Hi people on the internet :) Abbey here! This was originally just a story I wrote for fun but I decided to convert it into an Ezria AU so it has all the same character just much different plot :) Enjoy and all criticism is welcome! Now I realise a lot of people do not read A/N but for some reason I'm still writing... So without further a due, I present "Friends Or Family".**

**-A**

"Ezra! Leave the boy alone!" Aria yelled out the back door, stifling a laugh as she saw the two boys wrestling. Her dark hair flew in brisk, cold autumn air, she tugged her khaki jacket closer to body, she figured it was probably time to start wearing warmer clothing as it had started to go into the colder, winter months. Her laugh was barely audible as she watched the older boy smile with joy as he threw his younger brother onto his shoulders.

"He likes it! Don't you Wes?" he said as he looked up through his mop of black unruly hair at the ten year old above him. The boy just simply nodded and looked down at Ezra with adoration. "And besides, just 'cause he doesn't like you as much doesn't mean you have to stop _our_ fun!" He said with a smirk. Ezra lowered the boy down to the ground as he brushed all the dirt of his jeans.

She raised her hand to her chest in mock hurt at the taller boys words. She giggled as she saw Wes run around the yard chasing Scout, my labrador, and trip into a pile of freshly raked fall leaves, disappearing from our view.

"Mom told me to tell you that lunch is ready, so go clean up." I yelled towards him. I saw him suddenly appear from the myriad of leaves and sprint off through the door; she ruffled his light brown head as he ran past her into the kitchen. "I swear, he is ten and he already has an appetite almost as big as yours. You boys could eat a truck full of lasagne and not even feel full! " She said amused as Ezra walked up to her.

"Like I didn't see you a devour a whole burger, fries and large coke at the diner last week" He chuckled.

"I didn't see you this morning; you were gone by the time I woke up." She said softly as they walked towards the porch swing next to the door. She lay against the arm as she tossed her legs over Ezra's lap. She shut her eyes as she listened to the soft rustle of the leaves in the breeze. "I would have gone with you, you know." She whispered softly.

"It's ok, I kind of wanted to be alone this morning for a bit; I went to see her and drop off some flowers. Besides you had breakfast with Noel." He explained, leaning his head back against the swing. The gentle breeze reminded him of the picnics that he would go on with his mother and Wes by the lake on the late autumn afternoons. A smile became etched on his face as memories of the brisk afternoons filled with laughter and joy flooded his mind.

"You know I still would have gone though, right?" she asked reluctantly. She looked over at him and saw him vaguely nod.

"I just can't believe its been ten years, it feels like so much more." Ezra said quietly as his voice caught in his throat. The one thing he hated to do in front of Aria was crying and he swore he would do his best to be strong for her. They sat there quietly as they enjoyed the silence before Ella interrupted them.

"Aria, Ezra, lunch is on the table!" They both heard Ella yell from the kitchen. They reluctantly got up and finally got into the kitchen, Aria and Ezra playing a game of shoulder wars as they walked in.

Just as Ezra was reaching for a fry, his hand was slapped away, "Hey!"

"Wash your hands; God knows what you touched in that yard." Ella said simply as she flipped through a Home Living magazine. Defeated, Ezra walked into the bathroom and washed his hands. He watched himself in the mirror as he washed his hands and studied his face, he stared at the discoloured skin that made up a line behind his left ear. Memories from that night encased his every thoughts as he tried to block out the horrid scenes and pictures that flew through his mind. He plastered on a fake smile and could hear laughter as he walked back into the kitchens and found Wes with two fries in his mouth, imitating a walrus. Ezra chuckled at him at grabbed his plate as he took his seat in between Wes and Aria.

"Thanks Ella, this is delicious!" Ezra said with admiration towards the older woman. You could definitely see the similar features between Aria and her mother; they both had the same green eyes and long, dark, luscious hair.

"Of course, sweetheart." She said with the same heart warming smile that he has know for basically all of his life. The next twenty minutes were spent talking about what everyones plans were for the upcoming Thanksgiving holiday. "I am assuming that you will be joining us again this year?" The older woman asked him, you could hear the hope in her voice. Ezra nodded as he smiled, He still remembered the day that Aria told him, she had never seen her mother so happy on a holiday since she was a little girl. He remember the mutual feeling over actual happiness that filled the room as we ate the delicious home cooked meal.

For the last ten years, Ezra had spent Thanksgiving at the Montgomery household and no one was planning anything different for the approaching holiday.

For the early years of Ezra's life, Thanksgiving was never a very nice experience as it should have been, it was full of bad memories and hiding in his room. However, the first time he was invited to the Montgomery house for Thanksgiving, it was filled with laughter, happiness and actually giving thanks for the small things in his life.

As everyone finished of their lunch, and Ezra finishing Aria's for her, Ezra took all the plates into the kitchen and rinsed them before filling the dish washer with the dirty dishes.

He could hear someone walk in behind him; he turned his head to look who and saw Ella standing there staring at him. He smiled quickly as he finished packing the dish washer and turned it on and then finally fully turned around. He saw the sadness in her eyes as she looked at his face and saw the scar near his left ear from when he was a child.

"Your mother would be very proud of you, you know." Tears started to well up in her eyes as she thought about the woman who was her best friend for over ten years. Ezra started to walk towards her as he slowly enveloped her into a hug. It was in that moment that she finally broke down as he lowered her to the floor and gently rocked her; he took note many years ago that this was the best way to calm her down when she got worked up.

"Hey, she would be proud of you too; it's not exactly easy basically raising two boys with the appetites of a elephants." He could hear her faintly chuckle. they sat there for what felt like hours but probably only minutes in silence as they separately reminisced the times that they had spent with Ezra's mother. He squeezed her tightly once more before letting her go and standing up to help her get to her feet. She looked at him once more before quickly wiping the tears from her face and she walked away.

He gripped the edge of the counter and shut his eyes. He heard footsteps as he opened his eyes and saw Aria leaning against the door frame. She walked over to him and hugged him. They stood there for a few minutes before he pulled away and excused himself as he walked into his room, muttering something about studying, and slammed the door behind him. She figured it would be a hard day for everyone but it was definitely the hardest for his mother and Ezra, and she didn't blame them.

As Aria walked into her respective room deciding to take a nap, she could hear the blasting sound of Green Day and Simple Plan coming from Ezra's room. She understood that today was a hard day for him and she figured knew Ezra liked to deal with things like this alone so she let him be. But that didn't stop from her own heart breaking at the thought of Ezra in pain.


	2. Chapter 2

**Hey Guys! Chapter 2 here! This one answers some questions you might have had from last chapter! Thanks for all the positive feedback and follows :) Here You go :)**

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When Ezra and Wes had been put into foster care a few years back, Ella set up rooms for the each of them seeing as their own foster parents didn't really give a damn about them and didn't care where they were as long as they got their monthly checks and that the boys were there for the social service visits. Most nights the boys would just stay at the Montgomery house but every now and then when child services came, they would go back to the shit hole they called a home. In reality, the Montgomery house is the only place they call home.

Wes barely knew his mother as he was only six months old when she was killed and Aria, didn't spend too much time with the woman herself. She wanted to be there for them that morning but figured it would probably be best for them to have some alone time. As Aria woke from her nap around two hours later, she still heard Green Day being blasted through the thin walls and realised he wasn't talking anytime soon.

She went in search for Wes since he was probably lonely and found him in the living room watching 'The Simpsons', as he saw her enter though, he turned down the volume and looked at her. "What's up, Buddy?" she said as he looked like he was trying to ask her something. He looked up to her and she saw the tears starting to form in his eyes.

"What was my mom like?" he asked, obviously trying to stop the tears from falling to his cheeks. She took him into her arms and kissed his head.

"Your mother was a wonderful woman, you look a lot like her actually." Aria started to explain to the little boy.

"I don't know if that's a compliment, seeing as I am a boy?" he said slightly amused.

"Well, she had dark brown hair similar to yours, and her eyes were an identical, piercing blue just like yours. You definitely got you good looks and charm from her." She looked down at him gripping onto her jacket sobbing. "I remember Ezra and I would always walk home in the afternoon after school and your mother would always have snacks ready for our arrival, every single day. I probably spent just as much time at your house as I did my own. She was like a mother to me myself and I couldn't have asked for someone better." Thinking back on the memories caused some tears to fall down her own cheeks. She promised herself that she would hold it together for Wes. He needed at least one person to be strong for him that day.

"I just wish I could get to know her. Ezra has all these memories of her that he has told me and all I get is a few photos. It's not fair!" he started to sob profusely and it broke her heart to hear the little boy in pain.

"Hey, your mother loved you just as much as she loved Ezra and she still does." She assured him.

"How can she still love me if she's not here?" The small boy said between his cries.

"She will always be looking over you. Even if it doesn't feel like it, she is always there." She said trying to calm the boy from his shaking. The two sat there for several minutes, each pondering what they had just discussed. He finally looked up at her again as he wiped the last of his tears away from his cheeks and smiled at her before walking away into the spare room that was set up for him.

She sat there for a minute longer thinking about her current situation before putting herself to use by cleaning up some of the toys that were strewn across the floor from Wes. After she finally concluded that the room was clean, she walked towards her own room and started on the homework that was due the next day.

After about four hours, at five pm, she had finished all of her home work and had retired to the bed and opening her laptop and opening her web browser she saw something catch her eye from the local news website. She clicked on the link and started to read the report.

_10 Year Anniversary Of Dianne Fitz's Death  
__Dianne Fitz, local single mother of two, died in head-on collision in the local streets of Rosewood, PA, ten years ago today when a drunk driver swerved into the oncoming traffic, hitting Fitz. The culprit had been drinking heavily since the night before and blew a 3.008. It was reported that the victim died onsite that morning from extremely high blood loss. It was a miracle that her young son, Wesley who was not even a year old, survived. The child was not found until approximately half an hour later when the car was being inspected as the young boy was squashed in the backseat unconscious. Wesley was promptly rushed to hospital as soon as he was safely removed from the car and was looked over for his injuries. The boy was released from the hospital fourteen days later into the care of his mother's best friend and Godmother, Ella Montgomery. It was said that the mother and son had just dropped her eldest son, Ezra (age 8), at school and were on their way home. The eldest son was called at the school and was picked up by Ms Montgomery and driven to the hospital to be given the news that his mother had not made it and his younger brother was in critical condition. They boys were then taken into foster care and are supported by the community. Ezra (Now age 18) and Wesley (now age 10) are still resided in Rosewood and are extremely active in the annual Stop Drunk Driving Campaign to lower the amount of lives taken from DUI._

_Story Written By Jamie King, November 10, 2014_

Under the article, Aria saw a picture of a young Aria, Ezra and his mother holding a new born Wes, she remembered that day vividly as she and Ezra were both taken out of school by Ella as Dianne had gone into labour. Ezra and herself had spent hours just watching the new baby in awe and remembering Ella had snapped the photo when we weren't looking. She smiled at the happy memory of having no complications in their life and being care free, little did they know that six months later that would all change.

It wasn't until she saw her reflection in the computer screen that she realised that she had tears streaming down her face, the screen went black after the lack of use and it was then that she realised she had been staring at it for fifteen minutes; she also hadn't heard the knocking on her door either. Still unaware, she wiped the tears from her face and looked around the room before her eyes finally fell to the six foot boy standing in her doorway. She quickly wiped any remains of tears from her face and told him to come in.

Ezra walked over to the computer and wiped his finger over the mouse pad to bring the screen back. He then saw his mothers face and put the computer on the bedside table and told Aria to move over as he pulled the blanket back and settled in the bed.

He lifted his arm around her shoulder and brought her closer as he realised it was his turn to comfort her just as she had done for him and she saw her do for his brother when he had retreated from his room a few hours earlier to get a drink from the kitchen. He felt her lower her head to his chest to listen to his heartbeat. The small girl would always do this whenever she would seek comfort, whether it was after a bad breakup or days like this when it was just hard to think back on all the good and bad memories.

There were many days like this in the Montgomery household, everyone had had their fair share of hard times and everyone was supportive of each others hardships. When Aria was a small girl, Aria's own father died only months after she was born due to lung cancer at the age of 35. They were told it was hereditary and that Byron seemed to inherit it from his own father. When they discovered the cancer, it had already spread too much to treat and was kept on life support for as long as possible but he didn't make it.

Thankfully, because Aria never really knew him, his anniversary wasn't too hard on her but it was still hard for Ella because she had now lost both of her best friends. She tells us almost every day how much we all mean to her and she seems scared that one day we are all just going to disappear and leave her alone in the world.  
Ezra also had his fair share of trouble with his father and refused to talk about it at all. All Aria knew was that he has moved here from New York when he was five and has never told me why. She has always wondered why his father wasn't around but she would never dare intrude on his personal space.

He lay his head on top of hers as they lay there, waiting for something to happen. When they both realised nothing would, he asked her how her breakfast date with Noel went that morning and she hesitated before answering. He sat up a bit and looked at her, then he looked into her eyes and asked her what happened.

"Nothing happened, that's the problem." She said annoyed. Ezra gave her a weird look like he wasn't following what she was saying. She let an exasperated sigh before explaining it. "Noel was on his phone the whole time texting someone and laughing and then when I asked him what was funny, he just said, 'Oh, nothing' before stuffing his face with his food and then leaving." She closed her eyes taking a deep breath and looked back up at Ezra and seeing he was furious. "Just forget about it. Seriously it's nothing we have to worry about tonight."

"No. You are my best friend and if someone is hurting you, you make sure you tell me, okay." He pushed. She looked at his blue eyes and curled the edges of her mouth into a taut smile. She gently hugged him and took a deep breath.

"Thanks Ez, I love you."

"Yeah, I love you too." He said warmly as he gave her one last squeeze and settled for watching a movie until dinner.

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**There it is! Some cute Ezria scenes in there and a few answers so i hope that leaves u guys happy for now :) Unfortunatley i won't be able to update for a bit since I'm moving tomorrow so I will update when i can!**

**-A**


	3. Chapter 3

**HEYYYY! I am not even going to write much about why i ****didn't**** upload it but I sorta lost everything off of my computer so I had to rewrite some stuff. And answering some questions: Aria 17 and Ezra 18, Strictly friendship as far as ****I'm**** concerned and in later chapters we will get some flashbacks into Ezra's past.**

**Enjoy!**

"Dinner's ready!" They both heard Ella yell from the kitchen. They both pushed the blanket off them as they walked towards the kitchen. When they turned into the kitchen they saw Ella pulling a lasagne from the oven with a pair of oven mitts and placing the large dish on a heat proof mat on the counter top. The delectable smell wafted through the air as the three kids took their rightful spots at the bar. Ezra walked towards the fridge and pulled the jug of water out and grabbed four glasses from the cupboard before returning to the group.  
He placed the glasses in front of each person and placed the jug in the middle before returning to his seat. "Thanks, Elle." He said as he kissed her hair and sat down. He took a bite and he could taste all the different layers as he tried to savour it. "This is amazing! It's different to how you usually make it, is it a new recipe?" he said once he finally swallowed.  
"Um, yeah. It was your mother's recipe. Thought I might try it out." She said hesitantly, almost as if someone would suddenly break down and sob into their food.  
"Well, it's delicious!" Was the only reply, which came from Wes who had been awfully quiet since his conversation with Aria. The rest of us just smiled.  
"What did you do this afternoon, Wes?" Asked Ella, almost as if she knew something.  
"Nothing…" was his response, it was very hesitant. Almost as if he was hiding something. Ezra gave him a quizzical look but left it alone and figured he would push him later for answers. The rest of the meal was quiet apart from the scraping of forks against plates. When everyone was finished, Ezra, once again, collected everyone's plates and took them to the sink and repeated the same process from lunch, sans the crying. When he was finished cleaning he walked into the lounge room and sat next to Aria as he noticed the local news was playing on the TV.

Just as they were both about to head off to their separate rooms, a new segment popped onto the screen showing a photo of Ezra himself, along with his mother and Wes. They both settled back into their original positions as Ella and Wes both made their way into the room when they heard the mention of their mother's name. They were all sprawled out amongst the two couches; the room was silent apart from the television. The broadcast was basically just pictures of the three of them along side some of their mother with Ella and even one with all five of them. None of them were actually paying attention to the reporter, just staring at the myriad of pictures that were displayed in front of their faces.  
Just as they were about to disperse, one last photo caught their eye, a photo of Ezra, Wes, Dianne and their father. Neither of the boys had seen their father since they day their mother kicked him out and neither of them really wanted to, knowing what they knew. As soon as the picture was shown, they stared at it for about five seconds before the television turned black, confused they looked around just to see Ezra throw the remote onto the coffee table in front of them. He silently stood up and walked towards his room.

The other three silently looked at each other as they said good night and all walked into their respective rooms to get ready for bed. Aria could hear the floorboards in the hallway creak as Ella went to help Wes get ready for bed as she does every night. Aria changed into her pyjamas and quietly made her way to Ezra's room. When she lightly knocked on the door, she saw it was slightly ajar and she could hear him rapidly typing on his computer keys. He finally came into view and she saw he had earphones in as he was angrily typing on his computer.

She walked over to his bed and wiggled his foot to get his attention as she knew the music was loud seeing as she could hear it from five feet away. He looked up as he quickly shut the computer screen took out the earplugs.

"Hey." She said softly as she sat down next to him getting under the covers. She slowly took the computer and opening the screen seeing what previously occupied his attention. As she looked at the screen, she saw a word document open and saw some sort of story being accumulated and after browsing over a few lines she realised that the story had a lot of potential.

"Ezra, these stories are amazing!" she said as she found a few more files that held well written stories. He shrugged and looked down at the floor. "Hey, what's up? You're never this quiet."

"It's just, I only write on days like this, when I think of mum a lot or when my dad is mentioned or when I see the people around me hurt. It just inspires me to… I don't know; write like my life depends on it. I wrote this today." He said as he took the computer and clicked on one of the files. She browsed over it and gathered that it was a story about a teenage boy that left home because he was being abused and left to fend for himself on the streets.

"Ezra, you should show someone these! They are- they are, inspiring. You should be doing this more often, make a book of short stories!" she said as she looked over some more of the stories. Ezra was scared though, even though Aria was his best friend, there were still things even she didn't know about him. If she read more of them, she would soon enough realise what they were all about and hound on him for answers.

"I don't know, these are really personal and mostly just a way for me to vent when I'm angry. They aren't really for sharing. Sorry Ar." he said, he looked genuinely scared to show her but she understood that everyone was allowed their privacy.

"Don't sweat it, I get it, you just want some things kept secret." She said calmly, she snuggled further under the covers and got comfy. "I swear, your bed is way more comfy than mine! It's not fair!" she complained.

"Hey, you're the one who chose the cheap queen bed over the comfy double, we had the same budget. What's the difference between a queen and a double any way? It's like an extra inch!" he said amused as he chuckled to himself.

"I wanted to feel like a queen! I was fourteen, come on! Give me a break." She said with that same amused tone as Ezra had. She punched him softly against the chest as the both chuckled. They were just settling down when Ella walked in and told Aria to go to her own room since they have school the next morning. On weekends, Ella usually lets them stay up late watching movies on the computer while they both sleep in Ezra's bed. This is strictly prohibited on school nights though.

"Good night Ezra, sleep tight, don't let the bed bugs bite, dream big, tall twig. Kiss kiss." She said it all in one breath as she walked out the door and left him just enough time to say 'ditto' before my door shut. Every night is the same when they get told lights out. He put his phone on charge on his bedside table before settling down into the covers and letting sleep take over his mind.

**So the little goodnight thingy in here is something that my friend says all the time so I thought I would put it in here.**

**Until next time...**


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